Mark Webber

A sandy-haired and boyishly attractive performer from a disadvantaged and politically active background, Mark Webber went from so-called "shelter boy" to movie star with an acting career on the ascent...
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Australian racing car driver Mark Webber has been hospitalised in Brazil following a high-speed crash during the World Endurance Championship on Sunday (30Nov14). The former Formula One race ace collided with a Ferrari driven by Matteo Cressoni, and his Porsche slammed into a concrete wall during the final stages of the competition at Interlagos in Sao Paulo.
Webber, who started the race from pole position, gave the crowd a thumbs up and a wave as he was stretchered away from the wreckage of his car.
Ironically, he was involved in another high-speed crash at the same corner of the Interlagos track during the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix in 2003.
The crash came less than a week after another Aussie sporting hero, Phil Hughes, died after he was hit on the head by a cricket ball during a test match in Sydney on Monday (24Nov14), and sent shockwaves through the motorsport world.
Scottish driver Dario Franchitti took to Twitter.com and wrote, "Very glad my mate @AussieGrit is ok after that massive shunt. Glad @Porsche Build strong cars", and British racing driver Jensen Button added, "Glad to see @AussieGrit is ok after his shunt at Interlagos... that was a big one matey."

Actresses Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth are heading back to the New York revival of Chicago to help celebrate the show becoming the second longest-running production in Broadway history. Reinking, who also choreographed the musical, took centre stage as Roxie Hart when it first opened in May, 1996, alongside Neuwirth as Velma Kelly, Joel Grey as Amos Hart and James Naughton in the role of Billy Flynn.
Now all four original stars will return to the Great White Way for cameos on 23 November (14) for a special performance to mark the theatre record.
Chicago, which will have racked up 7,486 performances in 18 years by the time the curtain falls on the November show, will take over the second-place title from Cats, which recorded 7,485 shows on Broadway between 1982 and 2000.
However, the 1920s-based musical still has a way to go to claim the top honour - that is held by another Andrew Lloyd Webber production, The Phantom of the Opera, which is still running at the Majestic Theatre after more than 11,000 performances since 1988.

Australian actress Teresa Palmer is refusing to let Hollywood's latest nude photo scandal get her down, because she has so much to feel "blessed" about. Hackers who leaked explicit images of Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton on 31 August (14) also claim to be in possession of a slew of other risque snaps of the likes of Selena Gomez, Hilary Duff, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Lea Michele and mother-to-be Hayden Panettiere.
Palmer's name was also included on the list and the new mum reveals she has been co-operating with agents from America's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in their ongoing probe to track down the cyber criminals.
She tells Eonline.com, "I have so much to say about the subject. I wish I could. It's actually a federal investigation so I'm not allowed to say anything about it but of course, it's an interesting situation."
However, the Warm Bodies star, who wed director Mark Webber in December (13) and became a first-time mum in February (14), insists that, while she is annoyed by the invasion of privacy, she is taking the scandal in her stride.
She says, "I'm so blessed in my life and I'm happy... Life's too beautiful to be mean and to have strange reactions and stuff."

Dallas Buyers Club and Gravity were the toast of the 2014 Oscars on Sunday (02Mar14), but it was 12 Years A Slave which was named Best Picture on Hollywood's biggest night. The Steve McQueen slave drama was a triple threat, also scoring Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o and Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley.
AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club served up a double win in the male acting categories with Matthew McConaughey earning his first Oscar for Best Actor and Jared Leto claiming Best Supporting Actor, while Cate Blanchett took home the Best Actress title for her star turn in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.
However, it was Gravity which scored the most wins of the night with seven, including Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron and a string of technical awards.
The 86th annual ceremony was presented by Ellen DeGeneres and she opened the prestigious event by joking about the heavy rain which has lashed the usually-sunny state of California in the past few days, and poking fun at Jennifer Lawrence for her clumsy nature after she stumbled and fell to her knees on the red carpet as she arrived at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood - a year after she tripped up the stairs on the way to pick up her 2013 Best Actress Oscar.
Each of the nominations for Best Original Song were performed, but it was Frozen star Idina Menzel's rendition of Let It Go which earned husband and wife songwriting team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez the award.
Pop star Pink helped to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz by belting out Somewhere Over the Rainbow in front of Judy Garland's children Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft and Joey Luft, who were among the guests in the audience, and Bette Midler made her performance debut at the awards by singing Wind Beneath My Wings following the annual In Memoriam segment, which featured tributes to the likes of James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Karen Black, Paul Walker, Annette Funicello, Peter O'Toole, Richard Griffiths, Sid Caesar, Shirley Temple Black, Harold Ramis, film critic Roger Ebert and former Academy president Tom Sherak.
The full list of winners at the 2014 Oscars is:
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
12 Years A Slave
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave
Best Achievement in Directing:
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Best Writing, Original Screenplay:
Spike Jonze, Her
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay:
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave
Best Animated Feature Film:
Frozen - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee & Peter Del Vecho
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:
The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Achievement in Cinematography:
Gravity - Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Achievement in Film Editing:
Gravity - Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger
Best Achievement in Production Design:
The Great Gatsby - Catherine Martin & Beverley Dunn
Best Achievement in Costume Design:
The Great Gatsby - Catherine Martin
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling:
Dallas Buyers Club - Adruitha Lee & Robin Mathews
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:
Gravity - Steven Price
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:
Let It Go from Frozen - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing:
Gravity - Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead & Chris Munro
Best Achievement in Sound Editing:
Gravity - Glenn Freemantle
Best Achievement in Visual Effects:
Gravity - Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk & Neil Corbould
Best Documentary, Feature:
Twenty Feet From Stardom - Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
Best Documentary, Short Subject:
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Best Short Film, Animated:
Mr Hublot - Laurent Witz & Alexandre Espigares
Best Short Film, Live Action:
Helium - Anders Walter & Kim Magnusson
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award:
Angelina Jolie.

Australian actress Teresa Palmer has given birth to her first child. The Warm Bodies star and her actor husband Mark Webber welcomed a son on Monday night (17Feb14).
Palmer took to Instagram.com to share a photo of their new bundle of joy grasping her finger.
She added a caption that reads, "Thank you God for blessing us with the most divine gift of our baby son. Introducing Bodhi Rain Palmer born safely, lovingly and naturally last night. 8lbs (pounds) even.
"Bodhi means 'Enlightened one' Rain means 'Abundant Blessings From Above' and we chose Palmer as his last name as Mark's son Isaac didn't take his dads name either. Thanks for all the blessings and love everyone"
The couple tied the knot in December (13).
Webber is already a father to son, Issac, with actress Frankie Shaw.

Pregnant actress Teresa Palmer has exchanged vows for a second time with husband Mark Webber. The Warm Bodies star married fellow actor Webber in a romantic ceremony in Mexico before Christmas (Dec13), but the pair walked down the aisle again on Thursday (06Feb14) to make their union legal in the U.S.
She shared a series of photos of the happy couple's second big day in a series of posts on Instagram.com, with one shot of the newlyweds locking lips captured by dance star Moby, who was among the guests at the ceremony.
Alongside the romantic snap, she wrote, "Kiss the ones you love! Even the pups are smooching! Happy (2nd) wedding (Webber) happy to be married before God in our Christian wedding with our pastor... Photo taken by Moby... Thanks friends for coming to witness... LOVE".
The Australian beauty, 27, is due to give birth to the couple's first child later this month (Feb14).

Pregnant actress Teresa Palmer has confirmed her recent marriage to Mark Webber by sharing pictures of the couple's big day online. The Warm Bodies star announced her engagement in August (13) shortly before confirming her baby news, and reports suggested the pair exchanged vows in Mexico in the days before Christmas (25Dec13).
Palmer has now opened up about the nuptials, and shared pictures of her wedding day with fans by posting them on Twitter.com.
The snaps, which will also be published in America's Who magazine, were posted alongside a number of 'thank you' notes to all those who helped put the wedding together.
The actress adds in a message posted on Instagram.com, "To these special people who impact our lives everyday, we thank you so much. To our best friends, parents and siblings who joined us in Mexico for our wedding, we love you - thank you for all of it... To my maid of honour... for helping with designing my dress, creating our wedding album... to my bridesmaids and bestest (sic) friends... you are my sisters... And of course this goes without saying - thank you (Mark Webber) - my home... Ok I'm done!"

Pregnant actress Teresa Palmer has married her fiance Mark Webber in Mexico, according to a U.S. report. The couple exchanged vows in front of friends and family at a beach house in Punta Mita, Mexico on Saturday (21Dec13), according to Usmagazine.com.
They announced their engagement in August (13), shortly before confirming the pregnancy. The baby is due in the coming weeks.

Elaine Paige, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and David Suchet are among the stars who have told of their shock and concern following a roof collapse at London's Apollo Theatre on Thursday night (19Dec13). Almost 80 audience members were injured, seven seriously, when a large part of the ceiling of the Grade II listed building fell in during a performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown and experts are investigating the incident.
Prayers and well-wishes for those involved in the disaster have begun to pour in from veteran stage stars, including some who were onstage at the Apollo when the horror happened.
British actor Suchet writes on his Twitter.com page, "What a tragedy. My thoughts are with all those who are hurt and injured at the Apollo Theatre. I have played this beautiful theatre... I hope all the staff back stage and front of house are safe. My thoughts are (with) you too."
As the drama unfolded on Thursday night, Lloyd Webber tweeted, "Terrible breaking news about the Apollo Theatre. My thoughts are with everyone tonight."
The show's director Sir Richard Eyre tells the BBC, "It's a terrible thing to happen in a theatre," and one of the production's stars, Matt Tait, took to his Twitter.com account to add, "Cast, crew and stage management all safe. Thoughts are with all the audience. Horrific and unbelievable."
Actress Paige, who was starring in a musical at the nearby Aldwych Theatre at the time of the incident, says, "It was a tragic and shocking thing to hear. Clearly there's been a tragedy over there."
Star Trek legend William Shatner writes, "Prayers and thoughts going out to the victims of the Apollo Theatre roof cave in in London," and singer LeAnn Rimes adds, "My heart goes out to everyone in London who were (sic) injured at the Apollo tonight."
Mark Haddon, the author of the book upon which the play is based, wrote in a series of posts, "It's been horrifying sitting here watching what has been happening at the apollo (sic) this evening. I'm hugely relieved that no-one has died...... & i (sic) hope that those who were seriously injured are OK. I'm sorry, too, that so many people went through such a terrifying experience."

Summary

A sandy-haired and boyishly attractive performer from a disadvantaged and politically active background, Mark Webber went from so-called "shelter boy" to movie star with an acting career on the ascent since his 1997 debut in the Philadelphia-based gritty youth feature "Edge City". The son of a struggling single mother, Webber had a relatively normal childhood in his Minneapolis home until age ten when a perceived welfare fraud ended benefits, landed his mother in jail and left the two homeless. In 1990, mother and son relocated to Philadelphia, where they became noted activists for homeless causes and undertook a project that reclaimed abandoned government owned homes for the needy. Arrest, mistreatment by police officials and a subsequent successful lawsuit met the young man's efforts. This extensive real-life drama presumably had an effect on the actor, who proved a true natural, an emotionally available performer with a palpable drive and arresting charm.

Education

Name

High School for the Creative and Performing Arts

Notes

Webber on his upbrining: "I'm so fortunate for the mother I have [activist Cheri Honkala]. Because of how she raised me, I don't need money or fame. And if I'm not working, I know how to live without money." - quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 13, 2000

"Edge City" director Eugene Martin on the effect Webber's underprivilieged upbringing has on his acting skills: "Mark has quick access to his emotions and really uses them. When you see him in these [middle-class] comedies, he's really acting." - quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 13, 2000